America’s Obsession with Macabre and Grisly

The public at large has always had a grim fascination with serial killer pictures, something about the reasoning behind becoming a monster, the grisly details of how each person loses their life, and the string of bodies left behind a human has turned to preying on their own. Whether it was the bloody crime scenes left for authorities by Jack the Ripper or the taunting messages the Zodiac Killer often left for his pursuers, the creepier the better as far as the public is concerned.

But why would photos of murder victims or famous monsters such as Jeffery Dahmer arouse this bleak intrigue in what most can consider the epitome of evil, the malicious taking of lives for enjoyment? Perhaps in the same way that some enjoy base jumping off of buildings or flying down mountain sides, the photos of those that have fallen victim to monsters and the perpetrators of the unthinkable give rise to our own fear but in a controlled fashion.

This obsession with the darker side of humanity is readily present in what could be the most famous spree killings in America and the “family” that would terrorize the public until their capture. One of the worst serial killers, the Manson Family murders would be the crime of the decade marking a dark end to a decade devoted to social change and flower power. Though horrific in nature, blood used to write messages upon the walls, victims butchered beyond recognition, and the specter of murderers hiding in wait captured the attention of the public and has yet to release it. If that’s not enough, the internet is full of some of the creepiest pictures to keep you coming back for more.